Week 18 - Post Doomsday

... and we are still alive!!

Rumours ... myth ... whatsoever. The end of the Mayan 'Long Count' calendar on 21 Dec was thought by many to herald the apocalypse, with the end expected by many at 11.11 GMT. However, thousands of people around the world anxiously awaiting the end of the world on Friday have seen the predicted time of the world's end come and go without incident.

So when's doomsday?

Week 17 was an average week for me even though I made it past the 100 points mark, just like some others did. Some picks were again spot-on picking up great fantasy points while some others like Suarez (WTF!?!?) played like shit.

Week 18. The last game before the calendar turns 2013. Will this be a change in fortunes for me, at least?

The standout fixture IMHO is Man City vs Reading. I have a keen liking for statistics and everything certainly points towards a thrashing of the visitors. Currently, I am on 4 Man City players (e.g. Tevez, Silva) but I might go heavier, depending on my hunch.

Alright, let's do a quick run through of the various positions.

In the goalkeeping department, Lloris is definitely there to stay for good for 3 plain reasons: he's effective, quality and cheap hahaha. But if you are not on him, you might want to consider getting Reina at 7-ish. Liverpool playing vs Fulham this week and really, Fulham seldom scores away from home and Liverpool is raring to bounce back after the embarrassing loss to Aston Villa last week.

Defence. Vert and Bassong will stay in my team for as long as the season goes. The final slot in the defence? I am really split between three enablers: Toure, Ferguson and Fabio. Not sure if any of the three is starting. Coin-tossing just before the fantasy dateline? We will just have to await further news update. If you have some cash to spend, probably you might want to risk on Dawson who is preferred over Gallas.

Midfield. Santi is playing vs Wigan this weekend and I bet everyone else has him on their team. Nothing else needs to be said. Just keep him. Apart from the Man City midfielders, you should be looking at Gaston Ramirez who will step up as the main threat from the centre of the field, in place of Lallana who is out injured. If you have Sterling and Michu, keep them please. I regretted. I was foolish.

The Attackers. You should have either / both of the Argentinians in your squad. I reckon that one of them will at least pick up 30 points. Elsewhere, Lambert is always a threat and this week, he is playing against Sunderland which are in recent days disappointing in general. Defoe has a decent chance vs Stoke too and he should be quiet for long. Same goes for Suarez who is playing Fulham but because I have dumped him from my team, he will not score!

Good luck and a Merry Christmas everyone!